Disclaimer: I don’t own Yu Yu Hakusho. If you have not read “Longing for the Thorns” or “Flames of the Dragon”, I suggest you do so now as this story continues them.
Chapter One- Fox and Dragon
I want you to have my heart, Kurama because I love you.
Hiei gazed at Kurama who stood on the other side of the boat’s deck as it sailed away from Hanging Neck Island. The thoughts he had last night chased themselves in his head, particularly the last line.
He respected Kurama, yes. He even considered him a friend, but love? Did he love Kurama? He found him attractive when he was Yoko, but his current human form was also attractive.
How could I tell him? The thought came unbidden to his mind and he smirked at the irony. He had faced down thousands of bloodthirsty demons in his life without an ounce of fear, but he couldn’t bring himself to confess his feelings to the one he loved.
He mentally shook his head. Why was he thinking like this? He shouldn’t be afraid to tell him. He should just march right over to Kurama and say it. The only consequences would be either Kurama accepted his affection or he didn’t. With his mind made up, he turned and headed for Kurama.
&&&&
Hiei, I love you.
Kurama sighed as a breeze ruffled his hair. His midnight musings on the fire wielder were still on his mind. He was in love with Hiei, he couldn’t deny it. The only thing was he couldn’t tell Hiei. He was pretty sure Hiei didn’t feel the same way. It was likely the fire demon would scoff at him.
What would Hiei say if I said I was in love with someone, but was afraid to confess? he mused. He paused for a minute before his lips curled into a smirk. Of course. Hiei would most likely say, “Hn. Kitsune no baka. There’s no reason to not confess. Quit acting like a lovesick ningen girl and just do it.”
Yes, Hiei would say something like that. Truth be known, this was sound advice no matter who said it. Yes, better to get it out rather than keep silent and end up regretting it later in life.
“Kurama.”
The redhead looked to his right to see Hiei looking at him. He looked as if he was on a mission. His squared shoulders and determined expression were proof of that.
“Yes, Hiei?”
“I want to tell you something.”
“You know you can tell me anything.”
“I know.” Hiei’s mouth suddenly felt dry. It had seemed so easy when he imagined confessing, but faced with the moment of truth, he now felt nervous.
I need a conversation starter. Wait, I got it!
“You fought nicely in the tournament. I enjoyed seeing you fight,” Hiei said.
Kurama smiled. “I too enjoyed your fights. I saw every move you made.”
Hiei heard the tone of relish in Kurama’s voice and knew he could confess very shortly. He had hoped to hear exactly what he was hearing now.
“I will never forget when I saw you as Yoko in the semifinals.”
“I imagine it was the power I had that interested you.”
“Hn, of course not. It was your beauty I was interested in.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I knew of your reputation for one-night stands.”
“An aspect of my life I am not proud of, truthfully.”
“A part of me wouldn’t have minded if I had been one of those flings. My pride kept me from following that impulse.”
“A wise decision.”
“I still have that impulse and this time my pride doesn’t matter.”
“What are you saying, Hiei?”
“I want you have my heart, Kurama…because I love you Kurama blinked a couple of times as he stared into Hiei’s red eyes. His heart began to beat harder and faster. Hiei loved him. It was more than he dared to hope.
Hiei’s comment about his one-night stands came back to him. He had said that those flings were an aspect of his life that he wasn’t proud of. That wasn’t really true. When he took a demon to his bed, it was part of the plan to claim his prize. He wasn’t looking to take a mate. His “victims” had thought otherwise…
…except for Hiei. He knew what Yoko had been up to all along. Yet, he too had longed to be robbed by the King of Thieves and what he had wanted stolen was his heart. It didn’t matter to him that Yoko felt no love for those he slept with.
All this went through Kurama’s mind in a matter of seconds before he said, “I am pleased to hear you say that, Hiei because I want to tell you this: Hiei, I love you.”
Hiei’s eyes widened for a moment before returning to normal size and a smirk came to his face. “That’s a relief. I had hoped I wasn’t making a fool out of myself.”
“You’re no fool, Hiei.” Kurama turned Hiei around so that they were facing the same direction before pulling him to his chest. Hiei stiffened briefly before melting into the embrace, his head resting against Kurama’s chest. The two demons stayed that way as the island disappeared from sight.
Chapter Two- Decisions
“Hiei?”
“Yes, Fox?”
“I have a small dilemma on my mind.”
A week had passed since their confessions and both couldn’t be happier. At least that’s what Hiei had thought. But something was troubling his fox and he wanted to know what it was.
Hiei rolled over in the bed so that he was facing Kurama and propped his head up with one hand. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing wrong, actually. I have been debating on whether or not I should tell Mother the truth about myself.”
“Hn. That’s not a small decision. That’s a big decision.”
“Hiei, what should I do?”
“I can’t tell you what to do, kitsune. I think you should sleep and think it over tomorrow.”
Kurama yawned. “I’ll do that. Goodnight, Hiei.”
“Hn. Goodnight, Kurama.”
&&&&
Kurama spent all day in school agonizing over his decision, not that anyone could tell. The redhead found his thoughts were distracting him from his work. It occurred in Math class. He was doing his exercises when he came across the number three.
When he saw it, he thought, Three…Hiei has three eyes. A shame he wouldn’t give me any advice. No! Focus on Math!
It happened again in Biology. They were studying plants. While he scribbled notes, he thought, If I tell Mother, should I show her what I can do with plants? If so, I could show her my Rose Whip. Agh! Focus, Kurama! You’re in school!
Kurama continued to be distracted. A group of girls followed him, but instead of acknowledging them with a sideways glance that made them blush and giggle, he continued on to his next class without even being aware of their presence.
Study Hall was where his distraction grew. He had a book open in front of him but he wasn’t really reading it. He stared at one page for five minutes before closing the book with a soft sigh of defeat.
He couldn’t stop thinking about it. He picked up piece of paper and put on top of the book before picking up a pen and twiddling it between his thumb and forefinger while staring at the blank paper so it looked as if he was deeply engrossed in his work.
There were a few way he could go if he chose to tell. He could start by saying he had something to tell her. Yes, he could definitely start that way. After that, two approaches came to him. He could either ease into the confession or he could just say he was a demon and not human at all. He shook his head slightly. No, the direct approach wouldn’t work. Subtlety was his stock-in-trade after all.
Okay, he had a conversation starter and an approach, but what would he say between the first line and his confession?
&&&&
Maybe I won’t tell her. But, I have felt so guilty of saying nothing these last fifteen years that I almost cannot bear it anymore, Kurama thought as he headed home from school. During Study Hall, he had written out a conversation of his confession. When he was finished, he had decided he would tell her. But as the time to go home grew closer, he began to re-think his decision.
He was so lost in thought; he didn’t notice that Yusuke had fallen into step beside him. It wasn’t until the detective waved a hand in his face and said, “Earth to Fox-Boy. Anyone home in there?” before Kurama noticed him.
He blinked before looking over at him and saying, “Sorry, Yusuke. I was preoccupied.”
“So I noticed. What were you thinkin’ about?”
“I was thinking about whether I should tell Mother the truth about myself or not.”
Yusuke let out a low whistle. “Oh, man. That’s a big decision.”
“Hiei said that last night.”
“Did you ask for his advice?”
“I did, but he said he could not tell me what I should do.
“I would like someone’s opinion. What about you, Yusuke?”
Yusuke stroked the underside of his chin for a moment. “Well, I’m not the advice type, but seeing as I also live with just my mom, I can relate. I know my mom loves me, even when she’s drunk out of her mind. Moms love their sons, doesn’t matter what they did or who they are. You feel bad about tricking her. Tell her, Kurama. She’ll still love you and forgive you.”
Why didn’t I think of that in the first place? Kurama wondered. Out loud, he said, “Thank you, Yusuke. I’ll tell her.”
“Hey, no prob. See ya later.” Yusuke gave a wave before rounding a corner.
Ten minutes later, Kurama arrived home. As he stood at the front door, his mouth suddenly felt dry and his heart was pounding. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door and stepped inside.
Chapter Three- The Truth
“Shuichi, is that you?”
“Yes, Mother.”
Shiori walked into the hall wearing an apron. “Hello, honey. How was school?” she asked as she hugged him.
“School was fine.” Shiori released him and as he took off his shoes, he said, “Mother, can we talk?”
“Of course we can, but why?”
“We have not had a talk for a long time. I thought we could use one now.”
“Good point. Have a seat and I’ll get some tea.”
Minutes later, mother and son were seated on the sofa, a tray of tea on the coffee table in front of them. Thus far they talked about the weather, Kurama’s schoolwork, and Shiori’s fiancée. The list of topics was dwindling and Kurama knew that the time had come.
“Mother, I have something to tell you,” he said as he set his tea cup down.
“You know you can tell me anything, Shuichi.”
Kurama took a deep breath. “I have been deceiving you for the last fifteen years and I cannot bear this guilt anymore.”
“Deceiving me? Shuichi, what are you talking about?”
“I am not entirely human. I am also a fox demon called Yoko Kurama. I was an expert thief until fifteen years ago. I was ambushed by a strong pursuer and was gravely injured as I escaped. I used the last of my strength to come to this world and merged with the unborn child you were carrying.”
Shiori laughed, which was something Kurama hadn’t been expecting. “Shuichi, you have such a vivid imagination.”
“It is true, Mother. I can show you some proof if you’d like.”
Shiori smiled. “Go ahead, dear.” She believed her son was going to head upstairs and return with some papers in the form of a story about a fox. The demon part had to be a part Shuichi just came up with and threw into the plot. That’s what Shiori thought: This was a story Shuichi was writing and he thought that she wouldn’t approve of the material. What her son had just said sounded like an excerpt from the story.
Shuichi stood up and closed his eyes. Abruptly, white fog flooded the room, concealing the redhead from her view. She looked about her in confusion. Where did this fog come from? The windows were closed. After a few minutes, the fog started to thin out and she could make out the outline of her son.
She frowned. No, that wasn’t her son. She stared at the figure as the mist disappeared completely. The figure was that of a six-foot tall man with waist-length silver hair. Two silver-white fox ears sat atop his head and bright gold eyes looked down at her. She felt unnerved by his stare and allowed her gaze to fall on his clawed hands and the silver fox tail swishing against his legs.
I can’t believe it. My son was really a demon: A fox demon. He can’t be my son. He looked like my son, but he really wasn’t. He’s a fox. I have to get rid of him before he brings some misfortune on me. As she thought this, the fox turned back into the redhead she had thought was her son.
&&&&
Kurama felt himself getting taller and his ears becoming pointed and traveling up to the top of his head. When he had been running tests on the potion he took in the finals, he discovered that he could transform into Yoko whenever he wanted. He was glad about that. His mother would definitely believe him now.
As the mist disappeared and revealed him, he looked to see his mother looking at him with wide, shocked eyes. He could understand that. It’s not every day that a human turns into a demon.
Shiori averted her eyes and he guessed she was intimidated by his gold eyes. If this conversation were to continue, he better change back to Shuichi. He closed his eyes and felt his power and strength leaving him. He opened his eyes and checked his hands briefly: They were human.
Satisfied, he looked at Shiori to see that she was still in shock. He sat down and leaned forward slightly, concern in his eyes. “Mother?”
The word jolted her out of her shock and she stared at him. A small whimper escaped her lips. Kurama was confused. Why was she acting so scared? “Mother, it is all right now.”
Shiori whimpered some more before saying in a choked voice. “All right? No, that’s not true.”
“What do you mean, Mother?”
“I’m not your mother!” Shiori suddenly shouted. She leaped to her feet and glared at Kurama. “You’re not my son! You were never my son! All this time, you were a fox! I want you to leave this house at once!” She pointed toward the front door.
Kurama’s mouth fell open at Shiori’s reaction. He hadn’t expected her to take it so hard. He thought she would accept him and still love him like Yusuke had said. Instead, she was kicking him out!
Swallowing hard, he slowly stood up and slowly took a step toward her. “Mother, please,” he pleaded, stretching out a hand toward her.
Shiori backed up and snatched a lamp off a nearby table. “Stay away from me, Fox,” she snapped, spitting the word fox out like it was a curse. “I told you to go. Leave. Now.”
Shiori swung the lamp at the space between her and Kurama before stepping forward and swinging again. Kurama kept backing up as his mother kept advancing swinging the lamp in front of her. The redhead reached the front door, slipped on his shoes, wrenched open the door, and walked out it backwards. Shiori lowered her makeshift weapon and slammed the door in Kurama’s face.
Chapter Four- Living Arrangements
Kurama stared at the closed door looking as if someone had punched him in the stomach. He couldn’t believe what had just happened. As he walked away, he kept replaying the incident in his mind. Did his mother really think he was going to harm her? He’d rather kill himself than let any harm come to her.
Kurama was unaware of where he was going. He eventually became aware that he was in the park. He sank down on a nearby bench, wrapped his arms around himself since it was a little chilly, and cried.
He wasn’t sure how long he had been there until he sensed Hiei’s presence. The fire demon had just arrived.
&&&&
Hiei frowned when he sensed Kurama’s energy enter the park. What was he doing here? Shouldn’t he be in his warm home doing that thing ningens call homework?
Curious, Hiei flitted to Kurama’s side- or rather up and behind him. He sat on the back of the bench his legs dangling above the seat. He heard Kurama’s sobbing and his eyes softened for a moment before hardening again. Something or someone had hurt his fox and Hiei swore there would be hell to pay.
He knew Kurama was aware of his presence so the redhead didn’t move when Hiei draped his cloak across Kurama’s shoulders. Then, he sat in silence as he waited for Kurama’s sobs to stop. When they had, he said, “So, what happened?” Hiei had a suspicion that this was about his confession.
In a soft but clear voice, Kurama began his story. “I thought about telling Mother all day and finally decided to do so after talking to Yusuke. I told Mother and even transformed into Yoko to give her proof. She kicked me out, declaring I was not her son.”
Hiei squashed the impulse to deal out retribution. It was forbidden for demons to kill humans and besides killing Kurama’s human mother would not endear the fox to him. Hiei was at a loss on what to do. He wasn’t the sentimental type nor was he good at comfort.
“You need a place to stay. You’ll catch cold out here,” he finally said.
Kurama nodded. “You are correct. Perhaps I will stay with Yusuke.”
“The detective better let you stay there considering he caused your problem in the first place.”
&&&&
“Oh man, Kurama. I’m so sorry.” Yusuke stepped aside and waved the kitsune inside. It didn’t take Yusuke long to figure out why Kurama was at his door. He saw the tearstains and thought of this afternoon’s conversation and concluded that the confession hadn’t gone well.
Kurama sank onto the couch as Yusuke went into the kitchen and returned with two glasses of juice. He handed one to Kurama before sitting next to him. “Tell me what happened.”
Kurama repeated the same story he had told Hiei. Yusuke’s eyes got wider and wider with each sentence. When the story was finished, the detective’s mouth had fallen open as well.
As Kurama drank some more of the juice, Yusuke finally said, “So, what are you going to do now?”
“Well, I was hoping I could stay with you, at least for tonight.”
“Hey, you can stay as long as you like. I mean, it’s my fault your mom kicked you out.”
“Thank you.”
At that moment, the doorbell rang and Yusuke went to answer it. When he opened the door, there was no one there, but there was a duffel bag with Kurama’s school bag and a note on top of it. He gathered up the bags and note and brought them inside.
“Hey, Kurama, look what was left at the door.”
Kurama stared in surprise at the items Yusuke put at his feet. He grabbed the note and opened it.
Fox,
Kurama smiled as he put the note aside, grabbed the duffel bag, and looked inside. He saw some nightclothes, a couple of school uniforms, and some street clothes. He also saw his hairbrush, deodorant, toothbrush, and toothpaste. Hiei, you’ve thought of almost everything.
“Yusuke, where is your mother?”
“She’s out binge drinking. She’s been gone two days now.”
“Two days?” Kurama couldn’t believe his ears. What kind of mother would leave her son alone for two days?
Yusuke shrugged. “It’s no big deal. I’m usually left alone for days at a time.”
&&&&
“Yusuke, wake up. It’s time to get up for school.”
Yusuke murmured something before rolling over so that his back was to Kurama. The redhead rolled his eyes. No wonder Yusuke was a poor student! He had no authority figure most of the time and thus he had no solid structure and no respect for other authority figures, aside from Koenma.
Since he was already dressed, he headed into the kitchen, planning to fix breakfast and lunch for the both of them. Kurama soon had two lunch boxes done and breakfast was almost done. When he turned to set the table, Yusuke was awake, dressed, and at the table, ready to eat.
Kurama smiled. “Yusuke, could you get the drinks?”
“Oh, sure. Water or juice?”
“I will take juice, please.”
Thirty minutes later, both boys left the apartment. Yusuke felt energized and could only chalk it up to the food he had. He rarely ate breakfast and this morning was a real treat. He was certain that lunch would also be a treat.
Kurama shivered slightly. There hadn’t been a jacket in the bag Hiei had packed. He wished Hiei had thought of that. Wait! Hiei had written that he would be nearby. Before Kurama could attempt telepathy to call him, the fire demon materialized on the sidewalk in front of them, a jacket draped over one arm.
“Yo, Hiei,” Yusuke said. “What are you doing here?”
“I thought the fox might be cold, so I grabbed a jacket of his from his house.”
“Thank you, Hiei.” As Kurama took the jacket, he noticed that it was his favorite: A reversible jacket with black on one side and forest green on the other. He slipped it on with the black side showing.
“I’ll be waiting after school for you. I believe there are some things I forgot to get you,” Hiei added before leaving.
“Why is Hiei being so nice to you all of a sudden?”
Kurama smiled mysteriously. “I’ll tell you after school.”
Chapter Five- The Encounter
Hiei was true to his word. He was up in a tree near the entrance. Kurama slipped around the side not facing the school and held up a piece of paper to him. On it, Kurama had asked for more uniforms, soap, and shampoo. Hiei looked at it and then at Kurama. “You do realize you have no school tomorrow.”
“Of course. However, there’s no telling how long I’ll be staying with Yusuke.” Kurama’s voice cracked a little at the last three words. It was still awfully painful to talk about the situation.
“Hn,” Hiei answered, though this “hn” had an unusually soft tone to it. Then he took off and Kurama headed for Yusuke’s.
&&&&
“Hey, Kurama. That box lunch was delicious. Better than school’s lunches,” Yusuke said while Kurama did his homework.
“You’re welcome. I had some trouble making them. There was not much to work with in the kitchen.”
“Well,” Yusuke sighed. “I guess I better hit the grocery store tomorrow.”
“May I come with you?”
“Sure. Tonight, let’s go to Keiko’s place for dinner. I’ll treat.”
&&&&
“Yusuke told me what happened today at school. That’s just awful Kurama,” Keiko said softly as she slid Kurama’s plate in front of him.
“Yes. Fortunately, Yusuke has allowed me to stay with him. I may be staying somewhere else-,”
“No,” Yusuke said firmly. “You’re staying with me. If your mother never takes you back, perhaps I can convince my mom to adopt you.”
Yusuke’s words pierced his heart like shards of ice. His mother never taking him back? How could Yusuke think such a thing? Still, it sure was beginning to look that way. He pushed these thoughts aside as another question came to his mind. “Would your mother mind about an occasional roommate?”
“Huh?”
Kurama quickly glanced about the restaurant. Everyone else was absorbed with their own conversations and Keiko was busy cooking. “You recall asking me why Hiei was being so nice this morning?”
“Yeah. What was up with that?”
Kurama leaned in close to Yusuke. “Hiei and I are in love.”
The raven-haired boy’s eyes widened. “What?” he said softly.
Kurama simply returned to his meal, suddenly looking as if he didn’t have a care in the world. Of course, that was on the outside.
&&&&
Kurama smiled slightly as he walked through the grocery store with Yusuke the next day. He felt, for the moment, at peace and why not? Yusuke knew he was a demon and accepted it. He had told him about being in love with Hiei and he was okay with that, too. He felt he could tell Yusuke anything about himself and his friend would be cool with it.
I miss Mother, he thought. He couldn’t stop thinking about that fateful night. Why couldn’t he have just lived with his guilt instead of feeling a need to get it off his chest? He should have known that Mother wouldn’t have taken it so easily. He found it hard to believe that he couldn’t go back to his own home not to mention his mother practically disowning him. It broke his heart, thinking about it.
“Well, that’s everything except for spices,” Yusuke said, cutting into Kurama’s thoughts.
The boys backtracked to the spice aisle and Kurama scanned the racks before him. Perhaps I should get some sage and rosemary. Oh and some thyme as well. He plucked the bottles off the racks and turned to put them in the cart. He saw Yusuke staring at something behind the redhead, a nervous look in his eyes.
Kurama turned around and he grew nervous too. It was his mother coming up the aisle from the opposite direction! He swallowed hard. Would Shiori greet him warmly or coldly? He desperately wanted his mother to accept him for who and what he was, but who knew if or when she would accept him.
It was clear to him now that she had glanced at him when his back was turned. The moment he turned around, her eyes were looking straight ahead. She pushed her cart right past Kurama without a second glance. She noticed Yusuke, smiled at him, and said, “Hi, Yusuke.”
Yusuke didn’t return the smile, but did nod in greeting. Shiori continued down the aisle, but Yusuke was looking at Kurama’s back sadly. He could almost see Kurama’s fox ears drooping in crushing disappointment. He wanted to say something, but he didn’t know what he could say.
Finally, he said, “Come on, let’s go checkout.”
&&&&
As the duo approached Yusuke’s apartment, a black-clad figure was waiting for them. Kurama smiled in relief upon seeing his mate. Yusuke nodded to him as he set the bags down so he could get his key out. Once the door was open, Kurama and Yusuke went into the kitchen to put the groceries away while Hiei watched from the doorway once he had closed the front door. He noticed that his fox seemed depressed and wondered what had happened at the store.
Kurama, are you all right?
The redhead nearly dropped the egg carton he was holding upon hearing Hiei’s telepathic voice. Hiei? Yes, I’m fine. Why do you ask?
You seemed depressed. I thought something happened at the store.
Oh. We saw my mother there. Kurama tone was nonchalant, but it didn’t fool Hiei.
Hn. Kitsune no baka. You’re not fine. Let me guess: She ignored you.
You are correct. It hurt, Hiei. It hurt more than I thought it would.
Yusuke stared at his friends. They hadn’t said anything yet, they were just looking at each other. Yusuke then saw a glow coming from under Hiei’s headband and realized that the two of them were speaking telepathically.
Yusuke cleared his throat before saying, “Hey, can we go back to actual talking?”
Both demons blinked as they came out of their mental discussion. Kurama rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a little embarrassed. “Sorry about that, Yusuke. It was not our intention to exclude you.”
“Sure. I understand.”
“Hn,” Hiei grunted.
Chapter Six- The Talk
Kurama awoke Sunday morning to find Hiei snuggled up beside him. It had taken quite a bit of time to convince the fire demon to spend the night with him, but Hiei finally gave in to Kurama’s pleas.
Kurama smiled as he looked at Hiei. He looked so peaceful when he was sleeping. It was hard to believe he was capable of killing demons quickly and ruthlessly with that peaceful look on his face. I wonder what he would have been like if he-,
Before he could finish the thought, Hiei stirred beside him. He opened his eyes blearily and blinked before focusing on Kurama. A smirk appeared on his face before saying, “Good morning, Fox.”
He smiled back and placed a kiss on Hiei’s cheek. “Good morning, love.”
Hiei blinked and put a hand to his cheek. His first kiss and it came from Kurama! Sure, he had known of the emotions love and kindness, but never truly experienced them as he was now. He got a small taste of what kindness was from his teammates at the tournament, but this was a lot more than a taste. Now he was experiencing real, true love. Hiei felt his icy heart melting as well as his guard being lowered as he gazed into Kurama’s green eyes.
His smirk changed to a real smile as he seized Kurama around the shoulders and pulled him into a passionate lip-lock. Kurama’s eyes widened at the bold move and when Hiei pulled back, he said, “Whoa. What brought that on?”
“Not what, who. You brought that on, Kurama. You’ve shown me that love, kindness, and compassion can actually be stronger than hate or rage.”
Now, it was Kurama’s turn to blink. He had been unaware that he had been showing Hiei anything like that. It’s possible that he had been doing so simply by being himself. Being himself was why Hiei fell in love with him after all and because of love, Kurama was seeing a hint of the person Hiei could have become if raised in a kind loving environment.
The two of them were still staring at each other when Yusuke walked in. The detective saw them sitting there silently and concluded that they were talking telepathically again. His theory died when the two demons leaned forward and kissed. His eyes widened and he exclaimed, “Oh, come on you two! Get a room!”
Ignore him, Fox, Hiei thought-spoke. He’ll go away. The sound of a door opening and closing followed this statement. See?
Kurama sighed as he pulled back. “We should not have done that in front of Yusuke. This is his home after all.”
“Hn. He’ll get over it. I take it you told him about us, considering his reaction just now.”
“I told him. He took it rather well.”
&&&&
Yusuke jogged away from his apartment and the two lovebirds. He was fine with the idea of them loving each other, but seeing it was something else. It had been surprising to walk into the living room and see them kiss. It made him a little uncomfortable and he decided to take a walk.
He wandered about aimlessly for almost an hour before he heard someone call his name. He turned to see Shiori coming up to him. He briefly wondered what she wanted with him. Hmm. Maybe she wants to talk about Kurama.
His suspicions were somewhat confirmed when she reached him. “Yusuke, can we talk?”
“Sure,” he replied and he let her lead the way to a bench in the park. They sat there in silence for a few minutes until Shiori broke it.
“How well do you know Shuichi?”
“Oh, very well.”
“Do you know that he has another name?”
“Yeah. It’s Kurama.” Yusuke’s suspicions were completely confirmed: She definitely wanted to talk about Kurama. Perhaps, he could repair the relationship between mother and son.
Shiori nodded. “What do you know about him?”
“Well, I know that he used to be an expert thief and a cold-hearted one at that. Then one day fifteen years ago, he was severely injured while escaping from robbin’ a place. He used the last of his energy to come here and merged with the baby you were carrying.”
“You know he’s a fox demon, right?”
“Yeah. I know.”
“You seem to know as much as I do, Yusuke.”
“Actually, I know a little more.”
“Oh?”
“You remember when we first met?”
“Yes. I was in the hospital with a terminal disease. Apparently it wasn’t terminal.”
“Oh, it was,” Yusuke replied. “You would have died if it wasn’t for Kurama.”
“What do you mean?”
“Kurama stole a magic artifact that grants a person’s dearest wish. I was supposed to get the item back. Kurama wished for you to be healthy and happy. The thing is the object doesn’t grant the wishes unless the user’s willing to give up his life.”
“Wait. Y-you mean he was willing to die to cure me?”
“Yup. I didn’t want him to die so I tried to sacrifice my life instead. The object was so surprised, it granted the wish without taking life.”
Shiori was speechless. Why would he care about saving her life? He was a demon. Demons typically kill and eat humans. There was a piece to this puzzle she was still missing.
“Why would a demon care if I lived or died?”
“He told me that you showed him kindness and compassion while growing up. You loved him and he learned to be compassionate in return.”
“He loves me because I showed him how to love.” Shiori remembered how Yusuke had said Kurama used to be cold-hearted. Thanks to her, he learned to be warm and caring. One thing was clear now: She wanted her son home.
“Yusuke, can you give Kurama a message?”
“Sure. What is it?”
She smiled at the detective. “I wanted him to come home. By dinner, if possible.”
“I think that can be arranged.”
Chapter Seven- Relationships
Yusuke threw open his apartment door, calling, “Hey, Kurama, you still here!?”
“Of course I’m here, Yusuke. You do not need to shout,” Kurama’s voice answered.
“Hn. Baka,” came Hiei’s voice.
Yusuke ignored Hiei’s comment and headed into the living room to find Kurama’s futon and beddings neatly put away and the redhead dressed and doing his homework while Hiei sat in a nearby window.
“I ran into your mom earlier. We had a long talk and she wants me to tell you that she wants you home by dinner tonight.”
Kurama’s eyes lit up. “Really?”
“Yup.”
“What did you say to her?”
“I told her that she showed you how to love. Oh, and I told her about you saving her life.”
“Ah, yes, I forgot to tell her that. Well, I suppose I should gather up my possessions. I think arriving home at dinnertime is perfect. Thank you for your help, Yusuke.”
“Hey, no problem.”
&&&&
It was déjà vu for Kurama. Once again, he was standing in front of the closed door to his house. This time, however, he had his duffel bag and school bag in his hands and Hiei by his side. His mouth felt dry and his heart was pounding. He knew his mother wasn’t angry with him, but he was still nervous.
“Fox,” Hiei spoke up. “Either open the door or knock on it.”
Kurama took a deep breath and raised a fist to knock, but before he could do so, the door opened to reveal Shiori on the other side.
“Welcome back, Shuichi! Or is it Kurama?” Shiori embraced her son.
“Which…ever you feel comfortable with, Mother,” Kurama replied, feeling a little weirded out by her greeting.
“Oh, you brought a friend, too.”
“This is Hiei, Mother.”
Shiori waved them in as she said, “It’s nice to meet you, Hiei.”
Hiei merely nodded and an awkward silence descended upon the hallway that was broken by Shiori saying, “I think I’ll check to see if dinner’s ready yet.” She headed for the kitchen, leaving the two demons alone.
Kurama shot Hiei an annoyed glare. “Hiei, that was not polite. I agreed to bring you here on the condition that you would behave yourself.”
“Hn. I didn’t ask to come. You begged me to come with you.”
“Hiei! I did no such thing.”
“Of course you didn’t. It was all in my head: The great Yoko Kurama begging for my company.”
Kurama rolled his eyes. “I am going to help Mother by setting the table and finishing up dinner preparation and you are going to work on being friendlier.” With those words, Kurama put his bags down and headed into the kitchen.
“Ah, Shuichi, perfect timing. Give me a hand with this salad, please.”
“Of course, Mother.” The two of them worked in silence for a few minutes before Kurama said, “I apologize for Hiei’s rudeness. He is not a social person.”
“That’s quite all right, dear. He was probably nervous. I certainly was.”
“I do not believe he was nervous, however I was.”
Shiori appeared thoughtful for a moment. “Yes. Clearly, we were wondering how the other would act.”
“Might I suggest we act like we did before my confession?”
“I’d like that.”
&&&&
“So, Hiei, are you a demon, too?”
Hiei swallowed his bite of salad before replying, “Yes. I’m a fire demon. I also liked killing other demons for fun, but now I do it out of self-defense.”
Shiori blinked at the response. “Well, killing out of self-defense is acceptable.”
“You don’t have to worry. Demons aren’t allowed to kill humans. There are severe punishments attached to that, up to and including death.”
Shiori nodded and decided to change the subject. “So, Shuichi, do you have a girlfriend?”
Kurama smiled. He had been hoping she would ask that exact question. “Actually I love a guy and he’s a demon, too.”
“Oh? Who is it?” Secretly, Shiori hoped it was Hiei. Despite his blunt way of speaking, she found herself liking him. She thought Hiei complemented her son perfectly: They seemed to be exact opposites.
“I am in love with Hiei, Mother,” Kurama answered.
Shiori nodded. “I can’t say I like you being in love with another guy, but I can accept it.”
&&&&
“Fox?”
“Yes, Hiei?”
The pair were once again in Kurama’s bed. Dinner went a lot more smoothly after admitting they loved each other. Shiori’s stiff demeanor had relaxed a bit after learning her son was gay.
“I’m pleased that your mother accepts you being a demon.”
“As am I, Hiei.”
“So, where do we go from here?”
“Well, we could start by being more of a family.”
“What do you mean?”
“You could tell Yukina that you’re her brother.”
Hiei snuggled closer to Kurama. “Hn. Good night, Kurama. I love you.”
“Good night, Hiei. I love you, too.”
I grabbed some clothes and essentials for you. If you need something, let me know. I’ll be nearby.
